Hoenn Journeys
by Coolstra
Summary: Mel Bryant and her three friends: Cameron Ryan, Rina Mitchell, and Colin Price get in and out of trouble during their unforgetable Pokemon journey!
1. Siblings

**1**

**Siblings**

"Look, Braden! It's a Swellow!" An eight year old girl said happily, pointing to the sky. Braden, an eleven year old boy, looked up and smiled.

"Some day, Mel, I'm gonna catch one. Then I'll bring it back home and show it to you." He said to his little sister, stroking her long, soft red hair.

Mel looked up at him and grinned then said happily, "I can't wait!" Her smile soon faded and she looked at the vast grassy field in front of them.

"What's wrong Mel?" Braden asked. Mel looked back at her brother with her shimmering brown eyes.

"I don't want you to leave. Why can't I come too?" she asked, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I don't have to get a pokemon and battle… I just want to be with you!" she threw herself onto her brother, hugged him tightly, and began to cry.

Braden gently pushed her away and held her hand. "Mom and Dad won't let you. I would take you with me if I could. You know that, Mel." Mel wiped her eyes with her arm and began to walk back home with her brother in front of her.

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The next morning Braden laid in bed, half asleep. He began to feel something poking his cheek. He groaned and slowly opened his eyes. "What the…!" he screamed, jumping nearly two feet into the air.

Mel laughed and got up off her knees. "Mel! I hate it when you stare at me like that!" Braden yelled. Mel just continued to laugh.

"But it's funny! Besides, you're leaving today so I won't be able to do that for a while." Braden just stood there like his feet had been cemented to his bedroom floor. Mel turned around and opened the curtains in her brother's room to let the sunlight pour in. She turned back around to find that Braden had disappeared. The shower came on in the bathroom as Mel walked down the stairs for breakfast.

"Good morning Growlith!" Mel said when she reached the kitchen. Her father's Growlithe was lying in Braden's chair at the table.

"Growl!" Growlith said as Mel patted his head. He jumped down and walked over to Mel's dad. "Hey Dad?" Mel asked when she sat down in her own seat. "Hm." Her father replied.

"How come you never evolved Growlith?" Mel asked him.

Her dad rubbed Growlith's head and answered, "He didn't want to."

"Why not?" Mel asked as her mom placed a plate of waffles in front of her. Her face lit up as she stabbed them with her fork. "Easy Mel, Easy." Her mom laughed.

"He likes himself just the way he is." Mel's dad answered. "Growl- Growlith!" Growlith said happily.

Mel swallowed her first bite and said, "Well I'm glad you didn't evolve, Growlith. If you did then you would have to be outside all the time cuz you'd be too big."

She stabbed her waffles again as Braden walked into the kitchen, his brown hair still wet. He sat down in front of his breakfast and quickly began to eat so fast that Mel could only see a blur out of the corner of her eye.

"Slow down Braden!" his mom said. Braden swallowed and said, "I need to finish getting ready to go." He got up and put his plate on the floor in front of Growlith. Hardly any was left but Growlith ate happily.

Mel sighed and put the last bit of her breakfast into her mouth. She chewed slowly then finally swallowed. She sighed again and put her plate in the sink. "I'm gonna get dressed." She said as she left the kitchen.

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"Now, Braden, remember to call us every chance you get." His mom said as she held him in a tight hug.

When she released him he took a breath and said, "Don't worry Mom. I will." He then turned to his dad and Growlith and said, "I'm gonna miss you dad. You too, Growlith." "Growl…" Braden hugged his dad and patted Growlith's head and turned to his little sister.

"I'll miss you." Mel said. She threw herself onto her brother like she did the day before.

Tears ran down her face when Braden said, "I'll miss you too Mel. More that you know."


	2. The Journey Begins

**2**

**The Journey Begins**

Four years later, Mel was sitting on the couch watching a contest on TV when the phone rang. She jumped up and ran to answer it. "Hello? Braden!" she said as the screen showed her fifteen year old brother smiling back at her.

"Hey sis! I figured you'd be out traveling on your own by now. " Braden said. His pokemon were bouncing around in the background.

"I'm leaving next week." Mel replied. "You'll never guess what I found the other day!" she ran over to the couch and when she sat back down in front of the screen she proudly held up a yellow pokemon egg.

"Where did you find it?" Braden asked as his Hoothoot jumped onto his shoulder.

"It was out in the grass fields. Mom said that it's a good thing I found it. I've been taking real good care of it too." Mel said happily. "Did you want to talk to mom?"

"Yeah. I'll talk to you later, Mel." Braden said.

Mel called for her mom and then looked at the TV. A girl named May was standing behind a Beautifly and a Skitty. May pointed towards her opponent and gave a command. The Skitty jumped into the air and used Blizzard and the Beautifly made a fantastic Silver Wind. Mel smiled and sat in front of the TV to watch the rest of the contest. Her mom went to the phone and Mel held the egg close.

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"Mom, Mom! Wake up!" Mel screamed the next morning. Her parents came running only to find Mel holding a small Pichu with twinkling eyes. Yellow egg shells were scattered across the floor.

Mel held her new Pichu at arms length and smiled from ear to ear. It was completely silent in the room as Pichu looked around. When Pichu looked back at her new trainer, she blinked her big, shining eyes then said, "Pichu!"

Mel's eyes glistened as she held Pichu close. Pichu rubbed her head on Mel's check and smiled.

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A week later, Mrs. Bryant was busy making her husbands breakfast when Mel called for her. "Just a minute, dear!" her mom called back placing some eggs onto a plate. She set the plate on the table and Growlith's tongue popped out of his mouth and hung to one side.

"What is it, hon?" Mrs. Bryant asked her daughter when she walked into the bathroom. Mel was standing in front of the mirror fiddling with her long hair. Pichu was sitting in the sink, watching herself splash around.

"I think it's time I cut my hair…" Mel replied. Mrs. Bryant smiled at her daughter's reflection then opened the cabinet to get her scissors.

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"Growlith, these contests are getting so popular. I'm glad there was only league battling when I was out on little adventures myself." Mr. Bryant said as he read the paper. Growlith made a face that said, "I'd never participate in one of those girly things anyway."

Just then, Pichu came bouncing into the kitchen. She jumped up on the table and poked Mr. Bryant's leftover breakfast. Mr. Bryant put down the paper and smiled at Pichu. "You can have the rest. I already gave Growlith some."

Pichu blinked her eyes then said happily, "Pi-Pichu!" She sniffed the eggs then poked them with her tongue.

"Okay Dad. What do you think?" Mel asked when she came into the kitchen. Her dad looked up and asked, "What happened to all your hair?"

Her hair was longer in the front than in the back and so short that it didn't even touch her shoulders. She smiled and made a 360° turn so her dad could see the back. "Do you like it?" She asked him after her mom came in.

"It looks great." Mr. Bryant replied. "Growl!" Growlith agreed. Mel smiled and sat down at the table. Pichu walked over to her and climbed up onto her trainer's head. "Pichu!" she said happily.

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Mel was up first the next morning to take a shower and get all her things ready. "Today's the day Pichu." Mel said as she brushed her short red hair.

Pichu didn't hear her trainer. She was too busy looking at Mel's new clothes that her mom gave her. Mel was wearing blue jeans with orange lining on the pockets. She had on a black tank top with an orange lining on the collar and along the bottom of the shirt.

"Today's the day that I finally get to start my own Pokemon journey. Along with my new best friend of course!" Mel said as she tied a piece of her hair into a stubby ponytail.

Pichu still wasn't paying attention. She watched as Mel put on a black choker and a short red sweater which she buttoned at the top. She stuffed a pair of light grey skater gloves in her pocket and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Pichu then pushed Mel's black and grey tennis shoes toward her and pulled on her trainer's pants.

"Oh! Thanks Pichu!" Mel said when she looked down at her pokemon. Pichu smiled and then ran out of the bathroom and down the stairs. Mel laughed. "I guess she smells breakfast!"

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"Got your money?" Mrs. Bryant asked as Mel put on her light red and orange backpack. Mel replied, "Yep." "Your socks." "Yes, Mom." There was a pause then Mrs. Bryant asked, "Your underwear?" "Mom!" Mel said in an annoyed tone.

"I'll miss you so much Mel!" her mom said, wrapping her arms around her daughter.

"I'll miss you too Mom. You too Dad." Mel said. Growlith hung his head and sighed. Mel smiled and got onto her knees. "I'll miss you too Growlith. You were a great buddy!" Mel said, replying to his sigh.

She hugged Growlith's neck then her parents'. Pichu followed her and did the same. Before heading to the lab she smiled at her parents and Growlith once more. Pichu waved and said, "Pichu Pi!!" She then jumped onto Mel's head and smiled. Mel then turned away from her home and headed down the road.

"I can't believe that both of them are gone now." Mrs. Bryant said, wiping a tear off her face.

"She'll be fine. She knows how to take care of herself." Mr. Bryant said, trying to cheer up his wife. They both smiled at each other before taking one last look at the shrinking figure that was there daughter and walking back into the house.

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"I'm here Professor!" Mel called as she entered her town's lab. There were three pokeballs sitting on a small table in the middle of the room with other gizmos and gadgets along the walls. On their way to the lab, Pichu had curled up in Mel's bag and fell asleep.

Mel walked over to the small table and looked at the pokeballs. "Torchic, Treeko, and Mudkip." She said to herself as she circled the table.

"Why, hello Mel!" the Professor said. He was a tall, slender man with short black hair. He wore a white lab coat over his shirt and kaki pants. He was in his late twenties and very handsome. "So, are you here for your first pokemon?"

"Actually Professor… I'm just here for a pokedex." Mel replied, taking her eyes off the pokeballs on the table.

"Really? Do you already have a pokemon?" The professor asked, puzzled. Mel smiled and took off her backpack.

"Professor Blake, meet Pichu!" Mel said as she gently lifted the waking Pichu from her bag. Pichu yawned and wiped her eyes with her little yellow hands. She blinked and slowly looked up at the Professor. "Pi- Pichu!" she began to move her arms up and down happily as Mel laughed.

"Oh, now I remember!" The Professor said. "Your mother told me about the egg you found a few days ago." Mel nodded and the Professor went to get her a pokedex.

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"Bye Professor! Thanks for the pokedex!" Mel called back to Professor Blake as she left his lab. "Pichuu!!" Pichu cried happily from Mel's head.

"Goodbye Mel!" The Professor replied. "You'd better use that poke-nav instead of thinking that you can find the way yourself!"

"Mel giggled and said, "Don't worry Professor! I will!" She waved and then turned around and headed down the road.

She began to run so she could catch her ship off of the small island on which she had spent her whole life. This journey was to be her first ever trip away from home. She had waited so long to finally start her own adventure and be like her brother. Now that it had finally come she couldn't help but wonder if this was what she really wanted. But once she saw the ship, her mind was completely made up.

"Are you ready Pichu? I know I am!" She said. Pichu smiled and ruffled Mel's hair in agreement. Mel nodded her head. "Hoenn region, get ready! Cuz here I come!"


End file.
